Triple H has served as WWE’s Chief Content Officer for over a year, and during his tenure, he’s made numerous creative decisions—some of which have reportedly stirred frustration behind the scenes.
One notable example is his decision in 2022 to write off Ezekiel, the character portrayed by former four-time 24/7 Champion Elias. The sudden move marked the end of Ezekiel’s brief but memorable run, with no clear long-term creative plan in place. A year later, Elias was released from WWE.
In a recent interview with Inside The Ropes, Elias revealed that it was Triple H who made the immediate call to scrap Ezekiel upon assuming control of WWE creative:
“Essentially what happened was we’re running with Elias and Zeke, and Zeke’s doing some stuff, and Hunter came in. Now, Hunter took over. The very day he took over, he was like, ‘Hey, just so you know, I’m bringing Elias back.’ I’m like, ‘Okay, here we go.’ Right? ‘It’s going to take some time to grow my beard back out. But if that’s what you want, boss, that’s what you get.’ And so they wrote Zeke off. He got slammed by Kevin. He got carted off in the hospital. That’s the end of the legend of Ezekiel.”
UPDATE: @IAmNotEliasWWE was brought to a local medical facility and is being evaluated.#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/HTq5jNZr1I
— WWE (@WWE) August 9, 2022
The End of Ezekiel and the Fall of Elias
Ezekiel was written off television after being brutally attacked by Kevin Owens, in what would be his final on-screen WWE appearance. Despite fan support for both Ezekiel and the Elias gimmick, the latter never quite regained momentum after his return. WWE ultimately failed to successfully repackage him under Triple H’s vision, which contributed to the 37-year-old’s release in 2023.
New Chapter as Elijah in TNA
Although his WWE journey came to a disappointing end, the performer has since reinvented himself in TNA under the name Elijah, where he’s currently thriving with a refreshed character.
Kevin Owens trying to expose Ezekiel as Elias was one of the most hilarious storylines in the last couple of years. That man was about to have a heart attack 😭 pic.twitter.com/BejTxt8oh2
— Wrestling Pics & Clips (@WrestleClips) December 4, 2023
Whether he will ever return to WWE remains uncertain, but for now, Elijah seems to have found new creative life outside of Stamford.
The legend of Ezekiel may be over in WWE, but the man behind the character continues to evolve.
